MLB Player News

Suzuki is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Reds.

It looks to be a routine day off for Suzuki, who had started each of the previous six contests for the Cubs. Michael Conforto is getting a rare start in right field as the Cubs try to a complete a four-game series sweep.

Goodman is not in the lineup for Thursday's contest against the Mets.

Goodman was in the lineup for each of the last nine games, so he'll receive a breather during Thursday's matinee. Brett Sullivan will handle the catching duties and bat ninth for the Rockies.

Wood went 2-for-4 with a walk, two runs scored, two RBI and two stolen bases in Wednesday's win over the Twins.

Both steals came against the battery of Bailey Ober and Victor Caratini, as Wood improved to a 7-for-8 showing on the basepaths this season. The 23-year-old's bat has gone a little cold, however -- he hasn't homered in 11 straight games, a stretch in which he's slashing .200/.347/.250 with two doubles, six runs and six RBI.

Benge went 2-for-5 with a double, two runs scored and two RBI in Wednesday's win over the Rockies.

The rookie outfielder pushed his batting average on the season above .200 for the first time since March 30 as he continues to look more comfortable in the majors. Benge has extra-base hits in three straight games and four multi-hit performances in the last 12 contests, a stretch in which he's slashing .316/.366/.553 with three doubles, two homers, seven RBI and eight runs.

Bleday went 2-for-5 with an RBI and was caught stealing in Wednesday's 7-6 extra-inning loss to the Cubs.

Bleday's two-hit night upped a hit streak to five games, during which he's 7-for-20 with a double, three home runs, five RBI and five runs scored. The attempted steal was his first in nine games for Cincinnati, but speed has not historically been a feature of Bleday's game -- he's stolen 12 bases (caught seven times) over 409 MLB games prior to this season. The lefty-hitting outfielder has become a lineup regular against right-handers since being called up from the minors last week and recently moved to second in the order.

McCarthy went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 10-5 loss to the Mets.

This was McCarthy's first homer of the season. The veteran outfielder has gone 10-for-27 (.370) over his last 10 games. Overall, he's batting .262 with a .784 OPS, nine RBI, seven runs scored, six stolen bases, five doubles and two triples across 77 plate appearances this season. McCarthy is filling the strong side of a platoon in center field for the Rockies.

Soto went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a second RBI in Wednesday's 10-5 win over the Rockies.

Soto led off the game with a homer on the third pitch from Michael Lorenzen. This was Soto's second game in a row at the leadoff spot after previously working out of the No. 2 hole. He's up to four homers this season, three of which have come over his last eight games. The star outfielder is batting .299 with a .902 OPS, 10 RBI, 10 runs scored, one stolen base and four doubles across 91 plate appearances.

Reynolds went 2-for-4 with a stolen base in Wednesday's 1-0 win over the Diamondbacks.

Reynolds has been dealing in extremes lately with five multi-hit efforts and five hitless games over his last 10 contests. He's batting .294 (10-for-34) in that span, though he's made up for some of the inconsistency with the bat by drawing 10 walks. The outfielder continues to be steady in the heart of the Pirates' lineup, batting .260 with an .822 OPS, four home runs, two steals, 22 RBI, 26 runs scored, five doubles and two triples across 37 contests.

Happ went 3-for-5 with a two-run homer, a stolen base and an additional run scored during the Cubs' 7-6 extra-inning win over the Reds on Wednesday.

Happ gave the Cubs an early 2-1 lead after crushing a two-run blast off Brady Singer in the first inning, and the former came home to score in the fourth on a double by Seiya Suzuki. Happ is up to nine home runs on the year and extended his on-base streak to 27 games, which dates back to April 5 against the Guardians. The veteran outfielder is slashing .248/.379/.511 with two steals, 17 RBI and 28 runs across 161 plate appearances this season.

Crow-Armstrong went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run during the Cubs' 7-6, extra-inning win over the Reds on Wednesday.

The Reds' four-run ninth inning gave them a 6-4 lead heading into the bottom of the frame, but Crow-Armstrong extended the game with a two-run homer off Graham Ashcraft. It was the fourth home run of the season for Crow-Armstrong and extended his on-base streak to 10 games. Over that 10-game span, he has gone 10-for-36 (.278) with two steals, three home runs, eight RBI and seven runs scored.